In The Beginning
by ANGELofMUSICval
Summary: Buffy is trying to cope with her changing life. This is in the beginning, shortly after Buffy finds out that she is The Slayer. It's based on flashbacks from the episode Becoming from Season 2 and the movie. She is still living in Los Angeles.


Disclaimer: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Characters do not belong to me. They are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. I'm just borrowing them. (PG)

Timeline: This is in the beginning shortly after Buffy finds out that she is The Slayer. It's based on flashbacks from the episode "Becoming" from Season 2 and the movie. She is still living in Los Angeles.

In The Beginning 

Buffy sneaked into her room and closed the door. She curled up in the corner as she listened to her parents fighting yet again. It has been the same thing, night after night: her dad doing something her mom didn't approve of, him going out alone; her mom angry and frustrated, not willing to broach the subject again for fear of a fight. Then the confrontation inevitably came, for neither could hold back. They screamed and ranted, yelling horrible things to each other. These days, Buffy couldn't see how they had ever been happily married. Their lives were being ripped apart by their unwillingness to communicate. Buffy sighed as tears formed in her eyes. She really needed a parent right now. All the pains of being a teenager were coming up at once, and Buffy needed to take someone. Sadly, none of her shallow and air-headed friends were much help. Her boyfriend seemed to follow in their footsteps. Buffy heard her cell phone chirp, and she quickly went to answer it before it disrupted her parents. The last thing she wanted was their wrath.

"_As if they would actually hear it over their yelling_," Buffy sarcastically thought as she picked up the phone.

"Hey, Buff, what's up?" Her boyfriend said in a suave manner. Buffy inwardly groaned. She was not in the mood to deal with him at the moment. He wouldn't understand why she was so upset.

"Hey…. Look, I can't talk right now. I'll call you tomorrow, OK?" Buffy told him gently. "Things aren't good here." She hated to throw him off the phone, but he would be upset regardless.

"You can never talk. What's your problem? You're not the same Buffy I knew. You've changed." Without another word, he slammed down the phone.

"Hello? Hello?" She called. "Goodnight," she whispered, even more upset. She wished he had taken the call better. He was right: she had changed. Her sudden "calling" brought responsibility back into her life. He was perfect for the old Buffy, not the new person she was becoming. She knew he was upset, but when she stacked that up with her problems, she couldn't bring herself to care. Buffy dragged herself over to her bed, where she lay curled up in a ball.

She didn't know when everything had started to change. Life in Los Angeles was really starting to suck. Her friends and boyfriend were so superficial; she didn't feel she had a friend she could really talk to. Her parents were so wrapped up in their problems that they forgot she even existed sometimes. Then there was the strange guy, Merrick, that came to her, telling her about some destiny she had as "The Chosen One" and about fighting vampires. _"As if!"_ had been her initial response, but he had proved to her that they did, indeed, exist.

The more Buffy lay curled up, thinking, the more depressed she became. She felt as if her heart was breaking and she was being split in two. Pain and fear mingled in her body as she contemplated her parents getting divorced. She feared where the road would take her if that ever happened. Isolation flooded Buffy's body as she realized that at that moment, she was truly alone. Her friends and boyfriend wouldn't understand her "calling," especially if she had to keep it a secret from them. The would wonder at her distance and disappearances. That also meant that her parents couldn't know or ever find out what she was doing, which spelled even more trouble for her. On top of the agony of watching her parents fight, Buffy now had to keep secrets from them that were bound to cause friction. Her boyfriend…what a joke. Lately, Buffy felt she needed someone deeper, someone who had more depth to them, rather than her current boy-toy. She wasn't quite sure about the whole "vampire" thing; but after seeing them in the cemetery the other night, Buffy couldn't deny there was something else happening in the world that couldn't be easily explained. Tears kept falling as Buffy realized that awful truth: she was truly alone and always would be. The thought overwhelmed her, and she almost couldn't take it. Finally numb from too much emotional pain, Buffy cried herself into a dreamless sleep.

Across the street, Angel lurked, watching the scene before him. He was fascinated with this new slayer. Buffy was petite, blond, and beautiful. She looked so delicate and vulnerable, but he could tell a fighter lurked within her. She just didn't know it yet. She was fun, bubbly, and spunky, albeit a bit of an airhead. This would all change in time, as she became more down-to-earth with her calling. Angel sensed a hidden depth to her, one not yet touched. His heart ached for her, because she was so young and had such an enormous responsibility on her shoulders. He longed to hug her, but the time was not right to reveal who he was. He saw this slayer's pain and understood it. As the night passed, Angel stood there. Watching. Waiting. Protecting.


End file.
